JP2001229638A - Disk cartridge and disk drive assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a disk cartridge which allows the efficient use of the space in a disk drive assembly and the disk drive assembly which is small in size and thickness and is good in operability. SOLUTION: A circular part 1a of an arcuate shape approximately concentric with a disk is formed in part of one side 1e at the front end in the insertion direction of the disk cartridge 1 to the disk drive assembly and the segments exclusive of thereof are formed to an approximately rectangular shape. More preferably the circular part is formed thinner toward the front end. On the other hand, part of the component parts of the disk drive assembly are arranged in the empty spaces at both angle parts at the front end in the insertion direction of the disk cartridge 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a disk cartridge and a disk drive for recording / reproducing information on / from a disk using light or magnetism.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Audio discs and video discs,
Or, an optical disk device is widely used for driving an optical disk used for a data storage device of a computer. And with the improvement of the recording density of the disc,
There is a demand for a larger capacity and smaller optical disk device. In particular, personal computers as well as audio / video (AV) devices are becoming smaller and more portable, and there is a demand for smaller and thinner optical disk devices.

Generally, recordable optical disks are housed in disk cartridges to prevent dust and fingerprints from adhering. In such a disk drive device for recording / reproducing information by mounting a disk cartridge, when the disk cartridge is mounted, a shutter is opened to expose a part of the disk, and the disk cartridge is moved to a predetermined position in the device. The disc is chucked and rotated in the positioned state. An optical head for recording / reproducing information faces the disk from an opening opened by a shutter and emits light from an objective lens.

In the case of a magneto-optical disk, information is recorded by applying a magnetic field with the magnetic head while heating the magnetic recording film of the disk with a light spot irradiated from the optical head. The change in the magnetization direction of the recording film is read.

In such a magneto-optical disk drive, the magnetic head is supported from the opposite side of the optical head with respect to the disk with the disk interposed therebetween. The support member of the magnetic head is connected to the optical head, is integrally moved in the radial direction of the disk, and scans from the inner circumference to the outer circumference of the disk.

[0006] The configuration of a conventional disk cartridge and its disk drive will be described below.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a conventional disk cartridge. FIG. 9A shows a state in which the shutter 32 is closed, and FIG.
3 shows an exposed state.

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of a conventional disk cartridge.

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, a disk cartridge 31 is formed by joining an upper half 35 and a lower half 36 having a substantially square planar shape, and a disk 33 is rotatably housed therein. . The upper half 35 and the lower half 36 are provided with openings 35a and 36a, respectively, so that a part of the disk 33 is exposed. The opening 36a of the lower half 36 has a shape that is greatly opened to the center of the disk 33 so that a spindle motor for rotating and driving the disk 33 can be inserted.

When the upper half 35 and the lower half 36 are joined, a shutter lock 34 is incorporated. The shutter lock 34 has a shaft portion 34a, a spring portion 34b, and an engagement portion 34c. The shaft portion 34a includes upper and lower halves 35, 3
6, and the spring portion 34b is provided with the shutter lock 3
4 abuts against the inner wall surfaces of the recesses formed in the upper and lower halves 35 and 36 so as to restrict the rotation of the shaft 4.
It is supported so as to be rotatable at a fixed angle about a. The engaging portion 34c is provided on the shutter 32 of the disc cartridge 31.
Is exposed in the side surface groove 31a formed on the side surface on the sliding side of. When the engaging portion 34c is pressed from the outside, the engaging portion 34c pivots inward and retreats. At this time, the spring portion 34b is elastically deformed to generate a reaction force, and returns to the original position when the pressing force disappears.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the shape of the shutter. The shutter 32 is made of a thin plate having a substantially U-shaped cross section, has a size sufficient to cover the openings 35a and 36b of the disk cartridge 31, and is cut and raised by bending the thin plate. , A hook portion 32c and a tip hole 32d are formed.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the lower surface (the surface on the lower half 36 side) of a conventional disk cartridge. After the upper and lower halves 35 and 36 are joined, the shutter 32
Inserted in the direction of the arrow X, the cut-and-raised portions 32a and 32b are inserted into guide grooves 36b provided on the lower surface of the lower half 36, and are slidably held in the Y direction. Shutter 32
Slides to a position that closes the openings 35a and 36a, the hook 32c of the shutter 32
And the shutter 32 is locked so as not to open.

The disc cartridge 31 is inserted into the drive in the direction of arrow Y. At the time of insertion, the protrusion formed on the cartridge holder in the drive device passes through the side groove 31a, and the protrusion pushes the engaging portion 34c of the shutter lock 34 exposed in the side groove 31a, and The engagement of the shutter 32 with the hook portion 32c is released, and at the same time, the movement of the shutter 32 in the insertion direction is restricted by the projection. As a result, when the disk cartridge 31 is further inserted into the back, the shutter 32 stops at that position, and the openings 35a and 36a are exposed.

On the lower surface of the disk cartridge 31, a positioning hole 36c for holding the disk cartridge 31 at a predetermined position in the driving device is formed.

Next, the structure of a disk drive using the disk cartridge 31 will be described.

FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the structure of a conventional disk drive. FIG. 14 is a side sectional view showing a state in which a conventional disk cartridge 31 is inserted into a conventional disk drive.

In FIG. 13, the upper portion of the chassis 41 and the cartridge holder 51 are shown so that the internal configuration can be easily understood.
It is drawn with the character removed. In FIG. 14, the cartridge holder 51 is indicated by a two-dot chain line, and the detailed structure is omitted.

In FIG. 13, a spindle motor 42 is mounted near the center of the chassis 41. Further, two guide shafts 44 and a drive shaft 46 are provided on the chassis 41 in the X-axis direction. A transfer motor 45 is connected to one end of the drive shaft 46. The optical head 43 is held by two guide shafts 44 and is screwed with a screw formed on the outer peripheral surface of the drive shaft 46, and moves in the X-axis direction by the rotation of the drive shaft 46.

As shown in FIG. 14, a connection angle 47 projects from the bottom surface of the optical head 43 to the outside of the side surface of the chassis 41 and extends above the cartridge holder 51. At its upper end, a magnetic head arm 48 is attached to the connection angle 47 so as to be rotatable around a rotation shaft 49. The magnetic head arm 48 is a leaf spring-shaped member, and a magnetic head 50 is attached to the tip of the member. The magnetic head 50 is moved up and down by a magnetic head elevating mechanism (not shown) provided on the upper part of the cartridge holder 51, descends at the time of recording, approaches the disk surface, and slides or floats in the air.

The position of the magnetic head 50 is adjusted so as to apply a predetermined magnetic field to the position of the light spot irradiated from the optical head 43, and the inner circumference and the outer circumference of the disk are radially integrated with the optical head 43 by the transfer motor 45. Move between.

The cartridge holder 51 is mounted on the upper part of the chassis 41 so as to be rotatable about a rotary shaft 52. When replacing the disk, the cartridge holder 51 is flipped up together with the magnetic head arm 48 and the disk cartridge 31 is inserted. At the entrance of the insertion portion of the cartridge holder 51, there is provided an introduction portion (not shown) formed so that the inner dimension becomes larger as it approaches the entrance side. The disc cartridge 31 can be easily inserted by inserting the front end of the disc cartridge 31 in the insertion direction while making contact with the introduction portion. During insertion, the shutter lock of the disk cartridge 31 is released by a protrusion (not shown) on the inner surface of the cartridge holder 51, and the shutter 32 is opened.

Below the chassis 41, there is provided a circuit board 54 on which a control circuit of the disk drive, a connector for connection to the outside, and the like are mounted.

FIG. 15 is a side sectional view showing a state in which a conventional disk cartridge is mounted on a conventional disk drive.

As shown in FIG. 15, when the cartridge holder 51 is returned to the original position with the disk cartridge 31 inserted, the positioning pins 53 are moved to the positioning holes 3.
6c (see FIG. 12), and the position of the disk cartridge 31 is fixed. At the same time, the tip of the spindle motor 42 is inserted into the center hole of the disc 33,
The clamp plate 33a of the disk 33 is attracted by the magnet incorporated at the tip of the spindle motor 42, and the disk 33 is mounted on the spindle motor 42.

In this state, the disk 33 is driven to rotate, and recording / reproduction becomes possible.

With such a configuration, even if the optical head 43 moves between the inner circumference and the outer circumference of the disk 33, the connecting angle 47 moves along the side surface of the chassis 41.
The projection shape of the entire drive device from the normal direction of the disk 33 is a rectangular shape having substantially the same size as the minimum required rectangle including the disk cartridge 31, and a small-sized recording / reproducing device called a so-called jacket size is realized. You.

[0027]

However, the disk cartridge and the disk drive having the above-described structures have the following problems.

As shown in FIG. 15, when the optical head 43 and the transfer motor 45 are arranged below the disk cartridge 31 to form a jacket size, the thickness H of the driving device is required.
Is determined by the evacuating space H1 of the magnetic head 50, the thickness H2 of the disk cartridge 31, and the thickness H3 of the chassis. Here, since the transfer motor 45 is disposed below the disk cartridge 31, H3 is limited by the height (diameter) of the transfer motor, so that no matter how thin the optical head 43 and the spindle motor 42 are, the H3 of the driving device can be reduced. Thickness H
Cannot be thinned. When the height (diameter) of the transfer motor 45 is reduced, the generated torque decreases, the moving speed of the optical head 43 decreases, and the performance as a recording / reproducing device deteriorates.

When a flat motor is used as the transfer motor 45 and the rotation axis of the motor is set to be perpendicular to the disk surface in order to make the apparatus thinner, a gear is provided between the transfer motor and the drive shaft 46. It is necessary to use the optical head, and compared with a case where the shaft of the transfer motor is directly connected to the drive shaft, the feeding accuracy of the optical head is deteriorated due to gear backlash and mechanical loss.

When the transfer motor 45 is disposed so as to overlap the disk cartridge 31 in the horizontal direction (that is, so as to have the same height) and the chassis portion is thinned, the projected area of the drive device (from the normal direction of the disk) is reduced. projected area.
same as below. ) Greatly increases from the projected area of the disk cartridge 31, and a so-called jacket size cannot be realized.

When a circuit board 54 is provided below the chassis 41 as shown in FIGS.
If 5 protrudes downward, it is necessary to cut out the circuit board 54 so as not to interfere with the transfer motor 45, and the circuit area is reduced.

These problems have been a serious problem in minimizing both the projection area and the thickness, especially in a small driving device for a small-diameter disk mounted on a portable device.

Further, as the apparatus becomes thinner, the disc cartridge 31 is inserted at the entrance of the insertion portion of the cartridge holder 51.
It becomes difficult to provide an introduction portion having a wider dimension than that of the first embodiment, and it becomes difficult to insert a disk cartridge.

Accordingly, a first object of the present invention is to provide a smaller and thinner disk drive and a disk cartridge for realizing such a disk drive. It is a second object of the present invention to provide a disk drive device which does not deteriorate in operability even if it is small and thin, and a disk cartridge for realizing such a disk drive device.

[0035]

The present invention has the following configuration to achieve the above object.

A first disk cartridge according to the present invention comprises a case for rotatably storing a disk for recording and / or reproducing information, and an opening provided in the case for exposing a part of the disk. And a shutter for closing the opening, wherein the planar shape of the case is substantially rectangular except for a side at the front end in the direction of insertion into the drive, and insertion into the drive. A circular portion protrudingly provided on the side of the front end in the direction, and at least a part of the outer periphery of the circular portion is formed in an arc shape centered on a position substantially coinciding with the center of rotation of the stored disk. The shutter slides along one side parallel to the direction of insertion into the driving device.

In the above-mentioned first disk cartridge of the present invention, a circular portion having an arc-shaped portion along the outer periphery of the disk protrudes from the substantially rectangular portion at the front end side in the insertion direction into the drive device. Have been. That is, both corners of the front end side in the insertion direction, which are provided in the conventional substantially square disk cartridge, are cut off. Therefore, when the disk drive is mounted on the disk drive, the area corresponding to both corners becomes an empty space, and the components of the drive can be efficiently disposed there. As a result, the thickness of the so-called jacket-size driving device can be reduced.

Further, since the outer shape is largely different from that of the conventional substantially square disk cartridge, the two disks can be easily identified.

In the above-mentioned first disk cartridge, it is preferable that the tip of the circular portion in the insertion direction into the drive device is thinner than the substantially rectangular portion of the case. According to such a preferred configuration, by making the tip of the circular portion thinner, it is possible to arrange the components of the drive device in empty spaces formed above and below it. This makes it possible to further reduce the thickness of the driving device.

A second disk cartridge according to the present invention comprises a case for rotatably storing a disk for recording and / or reproducing information, and an opening provided in the case for exposing a part of the disk. And a shutter for closing the opening, wherein the planar shape of the case is substantially rectangular except for a side at the front end in the direction of insertion into the drive, and insertion into the drive. A circular portion protrudingly provided on the side of the front end in the direction, the tip of the circular portion in the direction of insertion into the driving device is formed thinner than the substantially rectangular portion of the case, and the shutter is inserted into the driving device. It slides along one side parallel to the direction.

In the above-mentioned second disk cartridge of the present invention, a circular portion is formed so as to protrude from the front side of the substantially rectangular portion in the insertion direction into the drive device. That is, both corners of the front end side in the insertion direction, which are provided in the conventional substantially square disk cartridge, are cut off. Therefore, when the disk drive is mounted on the disk drive, the area corresponding to both corners becomes an empty space, and the components of the drive can be efficiently disposed there. Further, since the tip of the circular portion is formed thin, the components of the drive device can be arranged in empty spaces formed above and below the circular portion. Thus, the thickness of the so-called jacket-size driving device can be reduced.

Further, since the outer shape is largely different from that of the conventional substantially square disk cartridge, the two disks can be easily identified.

In the first and second disk cartridges described above, it is preferable that the circular portion is formed so as to become thinner toward the leading end in the direction of insertion into the drive device. According to such a preferred configuration, the function of the introduction portion conventionally provided in the cartridge holder of the drive device can be imparted to the circular portion of the disk cartridge. Therefore,
The introduction portion of the insertion portion entrance of the cartridge holder can be reduced or eliminated without lowering the operability when inserting the disk cartridge. As a result, the thickness of the driving device can be further reduced.

In the first and second disk cartridges, an outer periphery of the circular portion has an inflection point on a side of the shutter on which the shutter slides from a tip of the circular portion.
It is preferable that there is no inflection point on the side opposite to the side on which the shutter slides. That is, on the side on which the shutter slides, the opening portion, the sliding distance of the shutter, and the curved portion are gently curved along the front end in the insertion direction of the substantially rectangular portion from the circular portion through the inflection point. In addition, a space for mounting the shutter closed state maintaining mechanism can be secured. On the other hand, the side opposite to the side on which the shutter slides is curved (preferably gently along the opposite side) from the circular portion without having an inflection point, thereby forming the opposite side. The notch at the side corner can be increased. As a result, free space is expanded,
By arranging more components of the driving device in the empty space, the thickness of the driving device can be further reduced.

It is preferable that the first and second disk cartridges further include a closed state maintaining mechanism for maintaining a state in which the shutter closes the opening. Thereby, it is possible to prevent dust, fingerprints, and scratches from being made on the built-in disc due to the careless opening of the opening.

The first and second disk cartridges can be used by storing a magneto-optical disk or an optical disk.

Further, the disk drive according to the present invention comprises:
A head for recording and / or reproducing information on a disk housed in a disk cartridge, a spindle motor for rotating the disk, a transfer motor for feeding and driving the head in a radial direction of the disk, and the disk cartridge A mounting portion for mounting the disk cartridge, wherein the projected shape is a rectangle substantially equivalent to the smallest rectangle including the disk cartridge, wherein a part of the component is mounted on the disk when mounted in the mounting portion. At least one corner of the smallest rectangle including the cartridge is disposed at substantially the same height as the disk cartridge when mounted. Here, the “smallest rectangle that includes the disk cartridge” refers to a rectangle having the smallest size among rectangles that can include the planar shape of the disk cartridge. The “projected shape” refers to a projected shape when projected in the normal direction of the disk surface.

According to such a configuration, some of the components of the drive unit, which have been conventionally disposed above or below the disk cartridge mounted in the mounting portion while avoiding interference with the disk cartridge, are replaced with a disk cartridge when mounted. Since it can be efficiently arranged at the same height as the disk cartridge to be mounted at the corner portion within the smallest rectangle to be contained, the thickness of the chassis portion of the drive device can be reduced without increasing the projected area of the drive device. it can. As a result, a drive device having a thin jacket size can be provided. If the thickness is the same, the access speed of the disk drive can be improved, for example, by using a transfer motor having a large diameter.

Further, even if a conventional substantially square disk cartridge is erroneously mounted on the drive device, some of the components of the drive device collide with the front end of the disk cartridge in the insertion direction, thereby preventing the disk cartridge from being mounted. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the drive device or the disk from being damaged or malfunctioning due to the wrong mounting of a disk cartridge of another incompatible standard which is not compatible with the drive device of the present invention.

In the above disk drive of the present invention, an optical head can be used as the head.
Thereby, a drive device for a magneto-optical disk or an optical disk can be provided.

[0051]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a disk cartridge according to the present invention. FIG. 1A shows a state where the shutter 2 is closed, and FIG. 1B shows a state where the shutter 2 is opened and the disk 3 is exposed.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of the disk cartridge of the present invention.

1 and 2, the disk cartridge 1 has a disk 3 rotatably housed in a case formed by joining an upper half 5 and a lower half 6 together.
The upper half 5 and the lower half 6 are formed with substantially arc-shaped circular portions 5b and 6b protruding from one side of a substantially rectangular main body. The circular portions 5b and 6b are formed on a part of the side 1e of the front end of the substantially rectangular portion in the insertion direction Y into the disk drive.
The center of the arc of the circular portions 5b and 6b is
Approximately coincides with the center of Further, the radius of the circular arc of the circular portions 5b and 6b is set to be as small as possible, which is equal to or larger than the radius necessary for securing a space for the stored disk 3 to rotate. When the upper half 5 and the lower half 6 are joined, the circular portions 5b and 6b are also joined to form the circular portion 1a of the disc cartridge 1.

The upper half 5 and the lower half 6 have the disk 3
Openings 5a and 6a are provided so as to expose a part thereof. The opening 6a of the lower half 6 has a shape that is greatly opened to the center of the disk 3 so that a spindle motor for rotating and driving the disk 3 can be inserted.

When the upper half 5 and the lower half 6 are joined, the shutter lock 4 is incorporated. The shutter lock 4 is mounted in a corner formed by a side of the disk cartridge 1 on which the shutter 2 slides and a side 1e on which the circular portion 1a is formed. The shutter lock 4 includes a shaft portion 4a and a
It has a spring portion 4b and an engaging portion 4c. The shaft portion 4a is inserted into the holes of the upper and lower halves 5 and 6, and the spring portion 4b contacts the inner wall surfaces of the concave portions formed in the upper and lower halves 5 and 6 so as to limit the rotation of the shutter lock 4. 4c is a shaft portion 4a
Are supported so as to be rotatable at a fixed angle around the center. Engaging part 4
c is exposed in a side groove 1b formed on the side of the disk cartridge 1 on the sliding side of the shutter 2. When the engaging portion 4c is pressed from the outside, the engaging portion 4c pivots inward and retracts, but at this time, the spring portion 4b is elastically deformed to generate a reaction force, and returns to the original position when the pressing force disappears.

The shutter 2 has the same shape as the shutter 32 of the conventional disk cartridge shown in FIG. 11, is formed of a thin plate having a substantially U-shaped cross section, and has the same method as that of the conventional disk cartridge. To be attached to the disk cartridge 1.

The disk cartridge 1 is indicated by an arrow Y in FIG. 1A.
Inserted into the drive in the direction. As in the case of the conventional disk cartridge, at the time of insertion, the projection formed on the cartridge holder in the drive device passes through the side groove 1b, and the projection engages the engaging portion 4c of the shutter lock 4 exposed in the side groove 1b. When pushed, the engagement between the engaging portion 4c and the hook portion (the hook portion 32c in FIG. 11) of the shutter 2 is released, and at the same time, the movement of the shutter 2 in the insertion direction is restricted by the projection. As a result, when the disc cartridge 1 is further inserted into the back, the shutter 2 stops at that position and the openings 5a and 6a are exposed.

FIG. 3 shows the cross section of the circular portion 1a at the front end in the thickness direction of the disk cartridge of the present invention in the thickness direction, which passes through the center of rotation of the disk and is parallel to the insertion direction Y. It is an expanded sectional view.

As shown in FIG. 3, the thickness T1 of the tip of the circular portion 1a is smaller than the thickness T of the substantially rectangular portion of the disk cartridge 1, and the circular portion 1a is located on the tip side. It is formed to be inclined so as to gradually become thinner.

FIG. 4 is a plan view comparing the planar shapes of the disk cartridge of the present invention and a conventional disk cartridge.

In FIG. 4, the disk cartridge 1 of the present invention shown by a solid line is different from the conventional cartridge 31 of a substantially square shape shown by a two-dot chain line in both sides of the front end side of the insertion direction Y which is hatched. Corners 1c and 1d are largely removed along the outer peripheral edge of the built-in disk.

Next, the configuration of the disk drive of the present invention using the above-described disk cartridge 1 will be described.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the structure of the disk drive of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a side sectional view showing a state where the disk cartridge 1 is inserted into the disk drive device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows a state in which the upper surface of the chassis 11 and the cartridge holder 21 have been removed so that the internal configuration can be easily understood. 6, the cartridge holder 21 is indicated by a two-dot chain line, and the detailed structure is omitted.

In FIG. 5, a spindle motor 12 is mounted near the center of the chassis 11. Further, the chassis 11 is provided with two guide shafts 14 and a drive shaft 16.
It is installed in the axial direction. A transfer motor 15 is connected to one end of the drive shaft 16. The optical head 13 is held by two guide shafts 14 and is screwed with a screw formed on the outer peripheral surface of the drive shaft 16, and moves in the X-axis direction by rotation of the drive shaft 16.

As shown in FIG. 6, the transfer motor 15 is provided so that a part thereof protrudes from the upper surface of the chassis 11.

From the bottom surface of the optical head 13, the connecting angle 1
7 protrudes outside the side surface of the chassis 11 and extends above the cartridge holder 21. At its upper end, a magnetic head arm 18 is attached so as to be rotatable around a rotation shaft 19 with respect to the connection angle 17. The magnetic head arm 18 is a leaf spring-shaped member, and a magnetic head 20 is attached to the tip thereof. The magnetic head 20 is moved up and down by a magnetic head elevating mechanism (not shown) provided on the upper part of the cartridge holder 21, descends at the time of recording, approaches the disk surface, and slides or floats in the air.

The position of the magnetic head 20 is adjusted so as to apply a predetermined magnetic field to the position of the light spot irradiated from the optical head 13, and the inner and outer circumferences of the disk are radially integrated with the optical head 13 by the transfer motor 15. Move between.

The cartridge holder 21 is mounted on the upper part of the chassis 11 so as to be rotatable about a rotary shaft 22. When replacing the disk, the cartridge holder 21 is flipped up together with the magnetic head arm 18 and the disk cartridge 1 is inserted. During insertion, the shutter lock of the disc cartridge 1 is released by a protrusion (not shown) on the inner surface of the cartridge holder 21 and the shutter 2 is opened.

At this time, in the cartridge holder 21,
A transfer motor 15 protrudes into the path of the disk cartridge 1. However, as shown in FIG. 4, the front end of the disc cartridge 1 in the insertion direction is the central circular portion 1a.
The two corners 1c and 1d except for the disk cartridge 1 are cut off to form an empty space, so that the transfer motor 15 and the disk cartridge 1 do not interfere with each other.
Can be inserted all the way.

As shown in FIG. 3, the circular portion 1a of the disk cartridge 1 is formed so as to become thinner toward the front end.
Even if you do not provide an enlarged introduction section at the insertion section entrance of 1,
It can be easily inserted. As a result, the thickness of the cartridge holder 21 can be reduced.

FIG. 7 shows a state in which the disk cartridge 1 is mounted on the disk drive of the present invention. FIG. 7A is a plan view, and FIG. 7B is a sectional view. FIG. 7 also illustrates a state in which the upper surface portion of the chassis 11 and the cartridge holder 21 are removed so that the internal configuration can be easily understood.

As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, with the disc cartridge 1 inserted, the cartridge holder 2
When the disk cartridge 1 is returned to the original position, the positioning pins 23 are inserted into positioning holes (not shown) formed in the lower surface of the disk cartridge 1 and the position of the disk cartridge 1 is fixed. At the same time, the tip of the spindle motor 12 is inserted into the center hole of the disc 3, the clamp plate 3 a of the disc 3 is attracted by the magnet incorporated at the tip of the spindle motor 12, and the disc 3 is mounted on the spindle motor 12.

In this state, the disk 3 is driven to rotate,
Recording / reproduction becomes possible.

As shown in the figure, even if the chassis 11 is thinned so that a part of the upper end of the transfer motor 15 is substantially the same height as the disk cartridge 1, the transfer motor protruding from the upper surface of the chassis 11 can be used. Reference numeral 15 is accommodated in a vacant space (a cutout 1d in FIG. 4) at the front end in the insertion direction of the disc cartridge 1, and does not interfere with each other.

The drive shaft 16 is located below the circular portion 1a of the disk cartridge 1. However, since the circular portion 1a is formed thin, the circular portion 1a of the disk cartridge 1 is There is no interference. Therefore, the drive shaft 16 can be disposed above, and the transfer motor 15 can be disposed further upward.

As shown in FIG. 7B, even if the transfer motor 15 having the same diameter as the conventional one is used, the transfer motor 15 can be arranged at a higher position, so that the thickness H3 of the chassis portion is not limited to the transfer motor 15. The thickness can be reduced according to the thickness of the spindle motor 12 and the optical head 13. Therefore, the overall thickness H can be reduced. Further, since the projected area of the disk drive device can be made substantially equal to the minimum rectangular area including the disk cartridge 1, a so-called jacket size can be realized.

Further, since the transfer motor 15 can be disposed above, a transfer motor having a larger diameter can be used, and the access speed of the optical head 13 can be improved.

Also, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the chassis 1
1. When the circuit board 24 is provided at the lower part, the transfer motor 15
Does not protrude downward, so that there is no need to cut out the circuit board 24 to avoid interference, and a large circuit mounting area can be obtained.

Further, as described above, since the introduction portion of the insertion portion entrance of the cartridge holder 21 can be reduced, the thickness of the cartridge holder 21 can be reduced, and the overall thickness H can be further reduced.

As described above, according to the present invention, the optical head 1
Even if the disk 3 moves between the inner circumference and the outer circumference of the disk 3, the connecting angle 17 moves along the side surface of the chassis 11. The rectangular shape is substantially the same size as the rectangular shape, and a thinner disk drive can be realized with the conventional jacket size.

In the above embodiment, the transfer motor 15 is arranged in the notch 1d at the corner at the front end in the insertion direction of the disk cartridge 1 to reduce the thickness of the drive device. The driving device is not limited to this configuration. For example, mechanical parts such as a motor and a gear for driving the magnetic head up and down, and relatively large electric parts such as a capacitor and a connector can be arranged in the notch 1c and / or the notch 1d. . Also, as the disk drive becomes thinner, the chassis 11 becomes thinner.
It is difficult to incorporate within the thickness of.

In the disk cartridge 1 of the above-described embodiment, the shutter 2 is configured to be locked by the shutter lock 4 with the openings 5a and 6a closed. The mechanism for maintaining the closed state is not limited to this configuration. For example, instead of or together with such a lock mechanism, an elastic member (for example, a torsion coil spring, a tension (or compression) coil spring, or a plate) that urges the shutter 2 in a direction in which the shutter 2 closes the openings 5a and 6a. Spring members such as springs)
Can also be used.

Further, the shape of the disk cartridge is as follows.
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.
B, it can also be shaped as shown in FIG. 8C. 8A, 8B, and 8C, reference numeral 1a denotes a circular portion formed on the side 1e at the front end in the insertion direction Y, and reference numeral 31 denotes a substantially square conventional disk cartridge.

The disk cartridge shown in FIG. 8A has an inflection point 1f on the outer periphery on the side where the shutter slides from the center end of the circular portion 1a. Thereby, the insertion direction Y
The shape of the front end has a curved line provided in the center of the circular portion 1a, which is convex in the insertion direction Y, and a curved line extending along the side 1e of the front end in the insertion direction on the side where the shutter slides. A concave curve in the direction Y is smoothly connected via the inflection point 1f. As a result, the notch 1c of the required size is obtained, and the sliding distance of the shutter and
A space for mounting a shutter closed state maintaining mechanism (for example, the shutter lock 4 shown in FIG. 2) is secured. On the other hand, on the side opposite to the side on which the shutter slides from the center end of the circular portion 1a, a curved curve protruding in the insertion direction Y is formed without providing an inflection point. Thereby, a notch 1d larger than the notch 1c can be obtained. 1g indicates an arc portion centered on a position substantially the same as the center of rotation of the stored disk. The radius of the arc portion 1g is set to be as small as possible within a range in which the stored disk can rotate. According to the present disk cartridge, more components of the drive device can be arranged in the empty space generated by the enlarged notch 1d, so that the thickness of the drive device can be further reduced.

The disc cartridge shown in FIG.
And the following two points. First
In addition, while securing the size of the opening, the sliding distance of the shutter, and the mounting space for the mechanism for maintaining the closed state of the shutter, the side 1e at the front end in the insertion direction is made as close as possible to the shutter side, so that the cut on the shutter side can be performed. The notch 1c is enlarged. Second, the circular portion 1a on the side opposite to the side on which the shutter slides from the center end of the circular portion 1a.
Is formed in an arc shape centered on the substantially same position as the center of rotation of the disk to be stored, and smoothly connected to the side opposite to the side on which the shutter slides, so that the anti-shutter side The notch 1d is enlarged. As a result, the range of the circular arc portion 1g centered on the substantially same position as the center of rotation of the accommodated disk becomes larger than that in the case of FIG. 8A. The radius of the arc portion 1g is set to be as small as possible within a range in which the stored disk can rotate. According to the present disk cartridge, the notch 1
Since c and 1d can be made larger than in the case of FIG. 8A, the thickness of the driving device can be further reduced.

The disc cartridge shown in FIG. 8C has inflection points 1f on both sides of the circular portion 1a. As a result, an inflection point is formed between a curve that is convex in the insertion direction Y at the center of the circular portion 1a and a curve that is concave along the insertion direction Y side on both sides along the side 1e at the front end in the insertion direction. It is gently connected via 1f. As a result, the outer peripheral shape at the front end in the insertion direction is substantially symmetric with respect to the central axis parallel to the insertion direction Y. 1g indicates an arc portion centered on a position substantially the same as the rotation center of the accommodated disk in the same manner as described above.
The position of the side 1e is determined in consideration of the size of the opening, the sliding distance of the shutter, the mounting space of the shutter closed state maintaining mechanism, and the like.

As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, when the outer peripheral shape of the front end in the insertion direction is asymmetric with respect to the center axis parallel to the insertion direction Y, the disk cartridge is inserted when the front and back sides are erroneously inserted into the drive device. A mechanism for preventing erroneous insertion, such as disabling, can be provided by utilizing the asymmetric shape.

In the above-described disk cartridge, the substantially rectangular portion and the circular portion 1a are apparently distinguished from each other via the side 1e, but the disk cartridge of the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. That is, the substantially rectangular portion and the circular portion 1a may be continuous on a smooth surface.

In the above embodiment, a drive device for a magneto-optical disk has been described as an example. However, the present invention can be similarly applied to a drive device for an optical disk, and has the same effects.

[0091]

According to the disk cartridge of the present invention, the space corresponding to the two corners at the front end in the insertion direction into the driving device, which is provided in the conventional substantially square disk cartridge, becomes an empty space. The components of the driving device can be efficiently arranged. As a result, the thickness of the so-called jacket-size driving device can be reduced. In addition, since the outer shape is largely different from that of the conventional substantially square disk cartridge, both disks can be easily identified. Furthermore, by forming the circular portion so as to become thinner toward the front end in the insertion direction into the drive device, it is possible to reduce the thickness of the drive device without lowering the operability.

Further, according to the disk drive of the present invention, since a part of the components of the drive which has been conventionally disposed above or below the disk cartridge can be efficiently disposed, the drive having a thin jacket size can be obtained. Can be provided.
If the thickness is the same, the access speed of the disk drive can be improved, for example, by using a transfer motor having a large diameter. Furthermore, since it is possible to prevent erroneous mounting of the conventional substantially square disk cartridge,
It is possible to prevent a drive device or a disk from being damaged or malfunctioning due to erroneous mounting.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external shape of a disk cartridge according to the present invention. FIG. 1A shows a state in which a shutter is closed,
FIG. 1B shows a state where the shutter is opened.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the disk cartridge of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing the shape of a circular portion of the disk cartridge of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view comparing the planar shapes of the disk cartridge of the present invention and a conventional disk cartridge.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the configuration of the disk drive device of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a side sectional view showing a state where the disk cartridge of the present invention is inserted into the disk drive device of the present invention.

7A is a plan view showing a state in which the disk cartridge of the present invention is mounted on the disk drive device of the present invention, and FIG. 7B is a sectional view in the thickness direction thereof.

8A, 8B, and 8C are plan views each showing a planar shape of a disk cartridge according to another embodiment of the present invention in comparison with a conventional disk cartridge.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an external shape of a conventional disk cartridge. FIG. 9A shows a state where a shutter is closed, and FIG. 9B shows a state where the shutter is opened.

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of a conventional disk cartridge.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the shape of a shutter.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the lower surface of a conventional disk cartridge.

FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the configuration of a conventional disk drive.

FIG. 14 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state where a conventional disk cartridge is inserted into a conventional disk drive.

FIG. 15 is a side sectional view showing a state in which a conventional disk cartridge is mounted on a conventional disk drive.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 Disc cartridge 1a Circular portion 1b Side groove 1c, 1d Notch (front end corner in insertion direction) 1e Side at front end in insertion direction 1f Inflection point 2 Shutter 3 Disk 3a Clamp plate 4 Shutter lock 4a Shaft portion 4b Spring portion 4c Joint 5 Upper half 5a Opening 6 Lower half 6a Opening 11 Chassis 12 Spindle motor 13 Optical head 14 Guide shaft 15 Transfer motor 16 Drive shaft 17 Connection angle 18 Magnetic head arm 19 Rotating shaft 20 Magnetic head 21 Cartridge holder 22 times Active axis 23 Positioning pin 24 Circuit board

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Satoshi Minabe 1006 Kadoma Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 5D117 AA02 CC01 CC04 EE08 GG03

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A case for rotatably storing a disk for recording and / or reproducing information, an opening provided in the case for exposing a part of the disk, and a shutter for closing the opening. Wherein the plane shape of the case has a substantially rectangular portion, and a circular portion protruding from a side of a front end in a direction of insertion into a driving device, and an outer periphery of the circular portion. Is formed in an arc shape centered on a position substantially coincident with the center of rotation of the disk to be stored, and the shutter slides along one side parallel to a direction of insertion into a drive device. A disk cartridge characterized by the above-mentioned. 2. The disc cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a tip of the circular portion in a direction of insertion into a driving device is thinner than a substantially rectangular portion of the case. 3. A case for rotatably storing a disk for recording and / or reproducing information, an opening provided in the case for exposing a part of the disk, and a shutter for closing the opening. Wherein the planar shape of the case includes a substantially rectangular portion and a circular portion protruding from a side of a front end in a direction of insertion into a driving device, and driving the circular portion. A disk cartridge characterized in that a leading end in a direction of insertion into a device is formed thinner than a substantially rectangular portion of the case, and the shutter slides along one side parallel to a direction of insertion into a drive device. 4. The disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the circular portion is formed so as to become thinner toward a distal end in a direction of insertion into a driving device. 5. The outer periphery of the circular portion has an inflection point on the side on which the shutter slides from the tip of the circular portion, and has an inflection on the side opposite to the side on which the shutter slides. 4. The disc cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the disc cartridge has no points. 6. The disk cartridge according to claim 1, further comprising a closed state maintaining mechanism for maintaining a state in which the shutter closes the opening. 7. The disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a magneto-optical disk or an optical disk is stored. 8. A head for recording and / or reproducing information on a disk housed in a disk cartridge, a spindle motor for rotating the disk, and a transfer motor for feeding and driving the head in a radial direction of the disk. And a mounting portion for mounting the disk cartridge, wherein the projected shape is a rectangle substantially equivalent to the smallest rectangle that includes the disk cartridge, wherein a part of the component is disposed inside the mounting portion. A disk drive device, wherein the disk drive device is disposed at at least one corner of a minimum rectangle including the disk cartridge when mounted on the disk at substantially the same height as the disk cartridge when mounted. 9. The disk drive according to claim 8, wherein said head is an optical head.